Billions In Aid Wasted In Afghanistan?

Public Health Expert Documents U.S. Failures In Reconstruction

(CBS)  American doctor Dave Warner is on a mission in eastern Afghanistan to show people back home how billions of taxpayer dollars sent here are being wasted.

“When I was here in December, this was full so you can see they've dug another pit over here,” Warner says, pointing to a pit.

Rotting bio-waste is dumped in the hospital's backyard because as Warner and the hospital director showed CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan - the new waste incinerator donated by the U.S. government is completely useless. Even if the hospital had been trained how to run it, they can't afford the fuel.

“It’s not used very often … at all,” he said.

It was a gift from the American people.

“Isn’t that nice?” Warner said.

Warner is a public health expert from San Diego who's taken it upon himself to do what no one else in Afghanistan seems to be doing - documenting the failures in reconstruction. He says the system can't be fixed unless those responsible first admit that it's broken.

But it's a hard sell, as Warner discovered when he tried to report his findings to officials at the Pentagon.

“I was brought aside and they told me, ‘Don't tell that story.’ I said ‘Why not?’ And they said ‘Well, this is one of our success stories,’” he said.

A success story that quickly turned to disappointment for the hospital when they discovered that a septic truck donated by the U.S. with brand new tires and a new coat of paint wasn't new at all. In fact, it's at least 60 years old and starts up with a crank.

The hospital's plumbing system is new, and certified as complete by the U.S. agency which funded it. But it's a disaster. Blood poured out of an open drain when Logan was there.

The open drains should have been covered - a fact Warner pointed out more than a year ago to those in charge of the project, but no one would take responsibility and finish the job. Warner says leaving it to the Afghans is unrealistic.

“They have no resources, and so every time we leave something 80 percent of the way, that more than overwhelms their capacity,” he said.

It's inside the hospital that you really see how overwhelmed the hospital is. Surgical instruments are sterilized in a pressure cooker.

Babies are kept two or three to one bed. In the newborn intensive care unit, critically ill babies have to share oxygen - there's barely enough power to run two machines.

Newborns with jaundice also have to share fluorescent lights because of the limited power.

“This is what the people have,” Warner said, referencing average Afghanis. “Yes, when you are talking about hearts and minds, these are the hearts.”

Hearts that the United States is failing to win, Warner says, because the system is failing them.

[armyboyroy]

Unfortunately this story only showcases a small part of the troubles Afghanistan is going through. The aid and support of the American people have greatly made a positive effect on the over there. The poverty rate in Afghanistan is over 80% and it is difficult for them to maintain proper facilities. We try to help, we dig wells, we build schools, but we cannot draw their water and we cannot teach their children as this is the case here.

This article has failed to live up to its title and does not accurately reflect on the number of successful projects that have been completed. Afghanistan is a country that needs economic development and not a handout from the American public. They need stability to help bring back the refugees and they need security so the people are not afraid.

Next time CBS does an article on Afghanistan aid, go to the PRT Commander and ask him what he has done with the taxpayer money and how we have helped so many Afghan people. I have lived the life of a soldier and I am proud of what we are doing, because I have seen the truth with my own eyes and it is something I will never forget.

[tinatoona]

This, absolutly shocked me, for a few seconds I was simply lost for words ! So where have our BILLIONS of dollars gone.....if babies have to share oxygen hoods, then I see we have a definate problem, as probably thousands of other viewers do. Kudos to Dr Dave Warner for bringing this heart wrenching story to us....and to Lara Logan for being the top notch Reporter that she has become.
This has left me with a heavy heart ! How are our LEADERS hearts feeling now ?

[armyboyroy]

The article states that billions have been wasted, but really that article can only account for about 50,000. Now on a percentage scale that only accounts for about .002% of the total money spent. If there was really that much money was misspent there would have been a Congressional Audit. This is a complete exaggeration and a perfect example of the media sensationalizing a story. If we misspent that much why was this article not the top story for the evening? The fact is that the journalist who reported this story can not accurately tack the total amount individual dollar amounts that have been spent as a whole or for individual projects. There was no attempt made by the journalist to ask the people responsible for the reconstruction to properly explain the situation. I would seriously question the motives of this journalist and also the motives of the editors and publishers that approved this.

The bottom line is that the title of this article should have been more accurate as to the one incident she investigated and not the entirety of all the aid spent in Afghanistan.

[kazurc]

Notice that the headline ends with a question mark to protect the reporter from accusations that her headline is actually a strong statement based on the account of only one aid worker who may have a huge agenda of his own or just a really bad day. This is shameful reporting. Where are the facts, where are the success stories, where''s the data that this strong conclusion in the form of a headline is based on? This story is shameful. Armyboyroy is right ... As an avid reader and student of Afghan history and current events, we have done so much good for the Afghanis ... but their country and society have been so massacred by the Talibs that the people need way more help than we are able to provide. The three babies in one crib probably would have died without the help of international aid workers. Think about that, please.

[armyboyroy]

I would also like to point out that this story has been run another time with the same exact headline. How can a new organization keep publishing a story over and over again with the same information? See the exact story posted on 6/19/07.